I joined the FASD Research Team at Salford University in January 2023. My academic background is in Health Psychology, and I have been working in health services research for nearly 20 years. Following my masters degree in Health Psychology I pursued my interests in addiction and public health and worked at St George’s University of London and then King’s College London on two large alcohol research projects, the Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project (ANARP) and the Screening and Intervention Programme for Sensible drinking (SIPS) study; three linked pragmatic trials of the effectiveness of three different brief intervention strategies at reducing hazardous and harmful drinking in primary care, emergency departments and probation offices.

I then returned to the North to undertake a PhD at the University of Manchester, which explored the effectiveness of health professional training to improve the management of common mental health disorders in primary care. Following my PhD I worked at the University of Manchester in the patient safety field for several years and developed a bit of a passion for quality improvement and better access to care for all. Always keen to return to the alcohol field, I was delighted to be offered the post of post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Salford evaluating the Salford Parents and carers’ Education Course for Improvements in FASD outcomes In Children (SPECIFIC). I soon learnt about the lack of research into FASD, barriers to diagnosis and lack of support for people who may have FASD and their families. This quickly ignited my passion regarding quality improvement in healthcare, as there is an urgent need to improve the identification and care of people with FASD.  I am excited to join the team and to contribute to research that will hopefully have a positive impact on parents and carers of children with FASD, and to secure funding for further research in this under-recognised and preventable condition.